The Tragic Way Social Media Could Be Killing Wildflowers

Spring has officially sprung, meaning buds are about to begin blooming—if they haven't already. But with great beauty comes great responsibility, as one Los Angeles-based floral designer pointed out in a poignant Instagram post about respecting nature.

Yasmine Khatib of Yasmine Floral Design shared several stunning snapshots of a field overflowing with pretty orange poppies—taken at Lake Elsinore/Walker Canyon, just one of several locations in California that is currently experiencing a "super bloom". But one of the photos contained a sad hidden message.

"See the large spot where there are no poppies? Look closely," Khatib captioned the photo, which shows an area in which the flowers had evidently been trampled. "You'll notice that there were poppies (probably a few days ago), but they were crushed, likely by someone who wanted to get an Instagram photo sitting in a field of flowers."

When in bloom, Lake Elsinore—as well as other sites, like Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California—is a popular place to visit for pictures, as this Instagram hashtag proves. While everyone loves a great Instagram photo, Khatib explains why it's more harmful than you might realize.

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"Every time I see a sight like this, I'm disheartened," Khatib continued. "To those hoping to photograph these beautiful, delicate, California natives, stick to the paths. Loving nature means respecting it. P.S. I'm sure that people who have rolled around in California poppies were unaware of the damage they were causing—damage that could last a few years (that's according to CA parks service, I'm not just pulling information out of thin air)—so this is a cautionary tale for those who are planning a poppy adventure soon."

"Getting a picture of one really nice wildflower off the trail will crush all the plants along the way and compact the soil, leaving lifeless bare dirt for the next few years or longer," reads the site's page about Antelope Valley.

Picking the wildflowers is a practice that's also prohibited, as "poppies wilt immediately after being picked, and they hold the seeds that we need for the next year's wildflowers," the site reads. Protecting those seeds is even more important when you consider the recent study that showed planting more wildflowers could quadruple the survival rate of endangered bees.

Dogs and drones are also not allowed, and a permit is required for any commercial, student, non-profit, feature news, and documentary filming and photography. Breaking any of these rules can result in a ticket.

So, whether you're planning to visit one of the super bloom sites or another field of wildflowers near you, go ahead and get that photo—just do it without stomping all over them.